House Hunting Day 1

On Tuesday we visited two Fraser properties (which is the same company who runs our current apartment in Hanoi).  They couldn't have been more opposite.  The first was an older building with small apartments and outdated finishings in the middle of downtown.  The second was a gorgeous new complex with 3 separate towers, two pools, two gyms, 3 game rooms, tennis courts, 4 relaxation rooms, and a big restaurant for serving breakfast (included in rent).  The rooms were spacious with tons of storage, modern and tasteful finishings, and even heated floors in the bathrooms!

Unfortunately the second property is on the other side of the river known as the Pudong area.  It's a new area (development began in 1997) so the roads are larger and less congested and all the fancy hi-rise buildings and upscale shopping is in Pudong.  However, C's office, the schools where I'd be looking to work, and all of the exciting neighborhoods for dining, entertainment, and shopping are on the other side of the river (known collectively as downtown, and then the suburbs further west).

Our plan is to continue looking at other serviced apartment properties in the neighborhoods closer to C's office, and then at the end of the week try to look at villas in the suburbs or old "garden" houses downtown.  Of course we have to consider all the factors: location, surrounding neighborhood, price, amenities, and availability so it's not easy!  Wish us luck as our quest continues.